Popping Up

Masterchef winner Christine Ha dishes out details on her upcoming pop-up event at Phoenicia

"Basically, I found a time where I'm in town for a month where I can actually plan a pop-up."

That's how MasterChef winner Christine Ha explains the timing of her first pop-up, which will be held at Phoenicia's downtown MKT Bar on Saturday Sept. 14 from 3 until 6 p.m.

"Since the whole show last year, I know people have been wanting to taste my cooking," Ha says. The event will give people a chance to do that. Calling the menu "a tribute to summer," she says each dish is designed to cool down diners. "It's hot as heck in Houston. You want something nice and refreshing."

Towards that end, Ha is serving a two-course lunch with an optional dessert. To start, there's a Vietnamese-style papaya salad with beef jerky strips and candied peanuts. Ha served a similar dish as part of her MasterChef-winning menu.

Then there are chicken wings two ways. The first preparation looks to her New York Times best-seller Recipes from My Home Kitchenfor wings caramelized in fish sauce. In the second presentation, the chicken is smothered in Korean-style spicy red bean taste. "It's a tribute to my husband's side of the family," Ha explains about the wings dish.

Finish the meal with a Thai-inspired dessert featuring coconut milk, cream and tropical fruits.

As to her plans to open a Houston restaurant, Ha concedes that it's on the "back burner."

"There are a lot of opportunities for me that I don't want to pass up," she says, noting a new Canadian TV series with a former Top Chef: Canada winner and appearances on MasterChef in other countries. Ha estimates that a restaurant would take all of her attention for up to two years.

"If I'm going to start a project, I'm going to bust my butt to make it a success . . . but everything has to be in place." Those components would include the right location, culinary team and investors.

Finally, Ha weighs in on this season of MasterChef, which she's been recapping for TV Guide. "I've predicted Luca from the beginning. He's a comeback kid. He's a strong cook. His story's good."

Ha says that her plans to open a restaurant have taken a back seat while she explores more TV work.

Christine Ha MasterChef The Blind Cook head shot with apron

Christine Ha Facebook

Ha says that her plans to open a restaurant have taken a back seat while she explores more TV work.

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two days of bbq

2 Michelin-rated barbecue joints holding can't-miss pop ups in Houston

Courtesy of KG BBQ

KG BBQ is bringing its Egyptian-influenced barbecue to Houston.

Two of the Texas barbecue joints to earn Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide will be holding pop ups in Houston this week. One is visiting from Austin, while another is a Spring favorite with a one-day-only menu.

On Saturday, December 14, Austin’s celebrated KG BBQ will be serving at Axelrad in Midtown. Part of Texas Monthly’s 2023 list of the Top 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas, KG BBQ has earned wide acclaim for pitmaster Kareem El-Ghayesh’s Egyptian-influenced take on Texas barbecue.

The menu will include many of KG’s most popular dishes, including brisket rice bowls with smoked Mediterranean rice; smoked lamb chops; sumac-and-cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder, and sides such as pink buttermilk potato salad and Baladi salad.

Service begins at 10:30 am. Preorders are available online with a minimum order of $60.

In a statement, Axelrad co-owners Adam Brackman and Monte Large say that KG will make more visits to Houston in 2025. El-Ghayesh adds that he’s a fan of the Houston bar that’s known for its spacious backyard with hammocks, a stage, and a wide-ranging menu of beer and cocktails.

“Since the moment I stepped foot in Axelrad, I loved their culture, their vibrant colors and artistic flare, their attention to detail and hospitality and love for entertainment makes this place perfect for bringing back my nostalgic memories of hosting pop-ups like how I started in Austin,” he said. “I’m proud to bring what I have created to Houston. From how diverse the city is, its beautiful variety of ethnic foods, and large Egyptian community, it has so much to offer. We are excited to serve up some Egyptian BBQ to the Houston community through our pop ups over the next year at Axelrad.”

On Sunday, Spring’s Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q will trade its usual offerings for a special menu of dishes made with smoked whole hog. The menu will include whole hog plates, whole hog sandwiches, whole hog-and-parmesan polenta cakes, and whole hog served over cheese grits with a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce as well as sides and desserts. Service will run from 11 am until everything sells out, likely sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

“The whole menu is filled with specials and cool items we don’t do everyday at the stand,” co-owner Jordan Rosemeyer writes in an email. The motive, beyond exercising some creative muscles, is to raise money for Hogs for the Cause, an annual event that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and the families who are fighting it.

Like KG, Rosemeyer is also a member of Texas Monthly’s 2023 new and improved list. Located at 2111 Riley Fuzzel Rd., the humble trailer has earned acclaim for its weekly specials, housemade ice cream, and well executed barbecue staples.

news-you-can-eat barbecue pop ups kg bbq rosemeyer bar-b-q

Popping Up

Masterchef winner Christine Ha dishes out details on her upcoming pop-up event at Phoenicia

Ha says that her plans to open a restaurant have taken a back seat while she explores more TV work.

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two days of bbq

2 Michelin-rated barbecue joints holding can't-miss pop ups in Houston

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.